Bo
by Linzerj
Summary: Robin was now certain that New York City had no need for a Titans branch, because it had skilled mutant ninja Turtles guarding it already. (Meanwhile, Beast Boy finds a kindred spirit within this new team, and enemies team up to bring them all down...) 2012 TMNT verse.
1. Bo

_**Bō**_

_Robin was now certain that New York City had no need for a Titans branch, because it had skilled mutant ninja Turtles guarding it already. 2012 TMNT verse._

* * *

The first thing Robin noticed when he got to New York City (the closest he'd ever go to Gotham now) was the sheer amount of ninjas lurking there.

His main reason for coming was to figure out which ninja clan was good and which was bad...or if they were both bad and fighting for territory, like any other gang.

Then, he'd decide if the city could use a Titans branch to keep the ninjas in line.

Being trained in a limited amount of ninjutsu, and also being taught the fundamentals of Bushido, he knew ninjas were supposed to have an honor code. At least one of the unknown number of ninja clans here had severely mangled this sacred code.

Personally, Robin liked to think that this one dishonored clan was being taken down - or at least pursued - by the other ninja clan. But he knew he shouldn't be that optimistic.

It turned out his instinct was right.

* * *

He had been trailing not a ninja, but a strange alien in a robotic suit. It seemed that these days, NYC was just full of surprises.

Apparently, the aliens and one of the ninja clans were allies. But hey, how was he supposed to know that?

And how was he supposed to know the other ninja clan consisted of mutants?

Robin had been surrounded, and his odds were slim but he knew he just had to make it work. He wasn't going to go down... Not yet, anyway.

That's when he noticed movement behind the circle of ninjas.

Instincts kicking in, Robin acted before the ninjas could react, whipping out his extendable bō staff and sweeping a few ninjas off their feet in one swift motion.

Someone else with a wooden bō did the same thing.

In another few seconds, he found himself pressed back to back with his rescuer. It took him a few more seconds to realize his rescuer's back was abnormally hard.

Sparing a quick glance over his shoulder, Robin saw chocolate brown eyes glance at him from behind a purple mask, before his rescuer turned and revealed his head was bald.

And green. And lightly scaled.

Robin realized, in that same second, that he was not back to back with his rescuer, but back to _shell_.

Turtle. His rescuer was a ninja turtle.

Robin decided that his life could not get any weirder now.

"You OK?" Robin was snapped out of his thoughts when the turtle creature spoke, and the hero shook his head slightly, turning back to the other ninjas surrounding them. He registered that they were moving closer, weapons drawn. Keeping his bō in one hand, he drew three bird-a-rangs with the other.

"Peachy. I'm Robin."

"Don."

A name to a face. That was nice. "You know these bozos?"

If the ninja surrounding them weren't wearing full face masks, Robin would be able to see their scowls.

"They're called the Foot Clan."

"Odd name choice."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

The ninja were still slowly advancing; one was now twirling a chain, the name of which Robin could not remember. "Up for kicking some butt?"

The turtle, Don, was most likely smirking; Robin could hear it in his voice. "Oh, shell yeah!"

And two bō staffs swiftly sliced through the circle of Foot ninjas.

* * *

Robin didn't remember getting knocked out - but then again, he didn't remember much after those first few minutes of fighting with Don...

"Don!" Robin shot upright, wincing a bit as he did so. There was a light chuckle to his right, but the tone didn't fit his new ally.

"Donnie's fine," a new voice answered. This one was not much deeper than Don's, but it had a certain quality that screamed 'leader'. Robin would know all about that. "So are you. Normally I'd be lecturing him for bringing a human into our home, but considering the circumstances I'm willing to make an exception."

Robin studied the newest Turtle - Don's brother, he would guess. He seemed to be slightly shorter than Don, with a blue bandana instead of purple. He carried twin katana, and his grey-blue eyes were much more serious in tone.

"Donnie! Your friend woke up!" he called, a slight smile gracing his face - or beak, as the case was. He then turned back to Robin. "I'm Leonardo, but I prefer Leo. You already met Donatello - Don. He'll be here in a bit."

"Thanks." Sitting up fully now, Robin surveyed the surroundings and - whoa, that was some stench, even though there were obviously air fresheners trying to cover it up. "Where are we - sewers?"

"Basically." Robin cringed inwardly - that must be rough. Leo seemed to read his thoughts, for he continued: "It's not too bad, once you get used to the smell. But it's safer down here than it is up there."

"What do you...?" Oh, wait, duh - they're giant mutated ninja turtles, of course it's safer in the sewers! "Right. Never mind."

"Hi, Robin." The Boy Wonder turned at the sound of his ally's voice, and smiled at Donnie as he emerged. "You doing OK?"

"Fine." Robin had the feeling that something very odd and/or scary was about to happen. "Why...?"

"Well, we have much to discuss." As a giant rat followed Donatello into the light, Robin stared.

Odd. Definitely odd.

* * *

One long and somewhat confusing explanation later, Robin was feeling a lot better about these mutants. By the time the story of who they were and how they came to be ended and the lecture on why they must not be seen began, two other Turtles had joined them – Raphael and Michelangelo. Already he could tell that, if they ever met, Mikey and Beast Boy would be best friends forever.

"Alright…uh, Splinter…Splinter-san…'scuse me…HEY! I get it, alright?" What? Robin had a knack for knowing when he was about to hear a speech long-rehearsed, or one that he'd heard several times. The man-turned-rat blinked, startled by the outburst; even Raph, the short-tempered one, looked impressed at his gusto. "Look, Splinter-san, I understand that you don't want to be seen. I have many friends who came from similar situations…though working on a team like mine, publicity is often a side dish, wanted or unwanted. Anyway, I would never tell anyone about you. Not even my teammates, if you want, though they are all completely trustworthy too."

Splinter – or Hamato Yoshi, as he was called in a former life – looked at Robin, directly at his eyes, and that's when Robin realized that unlike his adopted sons, this person could _see right through the lenses as if they weren't there._ His whole _identity_ was at a risk. And yet…

"If you don't trust me as Robin," the teen sighed, taking a deep breath and steeling himself, "then trust me as Richard." Slowly, painfully, the mask was torn away – and yet, it seemed like it took a millisecond for the mask to be removed from his face. Blue eyes met amber, and refused to look away; Richard was well aware that the Turtles were trying to get a look at his face, except Leonardo, who respected his privacy and was trying to hold them back.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity – but wait, it was really no time at all, was it? – Splinter let a soft smile creep onto his face, and he nodded once. "Very well. I will trust you, Richard."

Robin grinned as he pressed his mask back onto his face. That was one battle down. Just another to –

"Though you must understand, we can handle the Foot clan ourselves."

"What?"

Splinter smiled at his obvious confusion, while the Turtles were looking at their master with expressions ranging from shock to utter bewilderment. "You will remember from the brief history I told you, Oroku Saki is _my_ enemy. I would not bring you or your team into this fight."

Robin frowned, eyes narrowing under the mask. "The original Titans – me, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg – have faced madmen and armies just as powerful. Heck, we went up against an intergalactic demon, and we managed to pull through and save the world." His next words surprised the mutant family; it was obviously not what they were expecting. "It may not be our fight, but we _will_ be here to assist you if you need back-up."

Splinter was smiling again, and Robin took this as a good sign.

So far, so good.

* * *

Robin had said his goodbyes, and was on his way out with Donnie as his escort. Granted, the Turtle was only supposed to bring him to the nearest manhole and then retreat back into the sewers (something about not wanting their brother exposed and all alone, but not wanting to send too many just to show Robin the way out), but Robin was going to take advantage of this and have a little talk with the technologically-savvy ninja.

"So Donnie, how would you and your brothers like to be Honorary Titans?"

Don stopped dead, just a few feet from the manhole they had just climbed out of. The Turtle was ready to say goodbye and never see the hero again; he was not expecting that. "What? Are…are you serious?"

A nod. Robin was still watching the tallest of the brothers, waiting to see what his reaction was going to be. "We're always looking to expand our ranks. And frankly, it's the easiest way to keep in touch with you guys and see what the deal is with all the craziness in this city."

His expression somewhat guarded, Don asked, "Why not just ask us all back in the Lair?"

"Because I knew Splinter would not approve." Don shrugged at this, and Robin continued, "He values your safety and secrecy, and this is admirable. I knew that he would see making you guys Honorary Titans as a dangerous gambit, and he probably would not have been happy. Really, though, as Honoraries you guys wouldn't have to do much. The only level you'd be required to respond to is 'Emergency Alpha Red', which pretty much signals either the end of the world or a really big supervillain team-up." Don was still turning the idea around in his head, though at this Robin wasn't surprised; after all, Mikey had informed him that the bō-wielding Turtle was the thinker and inventor of the group.

Finally, Donnie seemed to come to a decision, but spent a good minute studying Robin before answering. "Yeah. Yeah, we'd be honored. Heh, honored to be Honoraries." The Turtle chuckled as he held out a hand, obviously for a handshake or something.

Robin did just that, grasping the three-fingered hand firmly before letting go and placing a communicator in it. "That'll help us stay in touch. Please don't try to modify it or make it shoot lasers or anything. I don't want to have to keep giving you guys new ones."

Donnie chuckled. "I'll try." He turned to jump down into the sewers, but paused once again. "Hey, Robin?"

Robin turned to his new friend from below the fire escape he had been planning on scaling. "Yeah?"

Don smiled, revealing the gap in his front teeth that was just so _human_. "Thanks…for everything."

Robin smiled back. No other words were needed; Robin knew exactly what he was being thanked for. "You're welcome. See you around!"

With a quick salute, Donnie turned and plunged back into the sewers as Robin made his way to the top of the building. Looking back down, he could just barely see the manhole cover being adjusted. "Stay safe, you guys," he whispered to the cover.

He turned and fired his grappling hook, rushing to the end of the building before jumping and swinging into the night.

* * *

Of course he didn't tell his teammates the whole story. He wasn't going to risk the trust that had been so quickly and so surely given to him. He simply told them that there was already a group of heroes protecting New York, who he'd met and given a communicator.

"No, Beast Boy, you cann_ot_ call them whenever you want. It was specifically requested that they not be called unless by me."

"Robin, may we at least meet them…someday?"

Robin paused – this was dangerous territory. But Splinter hadn't really specified… The Boy Wonder nodded.

"Yeah, Star. Someday."

Yes. Someday, the two bō-wielding martial artists would meet again, whether it be in the fight of their lives or just to catch up about old times. Either way, it was not the end.

* * *

_Written in a blast of inspiration after watching some of the new TMNT episodes. Truthfully, I love them. They're beautifully written and the plot is really interesting so far. Some of the effects are similar to those seen in Teen Titans, with the expressions and all - another reason I chose to use the 2012 version for this fic._

_And yes, I did make a reference to BB and Mikey being voiced by the same voice-actor, Greg Cipes. Maybe I'll post a sequel or spin-off revolving around those two._

_Initially, I thought about doing Leo and Robin, as they have so much more in common. But I love Donnie, and honestly, this sort of came to me unbidden. Either way, I hope you enjoyed._


	2. Contact

_**Bō**_

_Contact_

_Robin was now certain that New York City had no need for a Titans branch, because it had skilled mutant ninja Turtles guarding it already. (Meanwhile, Beast Boy finds a kindred spirit within this new team, and enemies team up to bring them all down...)_

* * *

Katarou had not been raised by the code of Bushido, but he still thought he was honorable.

Oh, who was he kidding. He did things not really for honor, but for his reputation, and his own personal gain.

So when he was approached by a man known as the Shredder and was offered a large sum of money to take down his enemies and any of his enemies' allies, he seriously considered it. There was a lot of money up for grabs. The trouble was, he didn't want to be bested by teenagers like Robin again; that had been his greatest embarrassment.

But perhaps this would be a way for retribution...

He found the contact information left with him and decided to keep a close hold on it. He might need it soon.

* * *

Beast Boy was relentless, Robin noticed.

The changeling had been trying to snatch his communicator ever since he returned from New York, determined to find out who these new heroes the leader had met really were. The former protégé of Batman was forced to resort to drastic measures to keep the youngest Titan out of his hair and away from his friends, including sealing his communicator in a near-impossible-to-open case.

It wasn't going to be enough, he realized. A month later, when he left the room to respond to a call from Donnie, he had noticed a little green spider following him (and really, he wouldn't have noticed if not for Batman's training). After a quick threat to squash the arachnid, Beast Boy had scuttled away - that time.

The saying 'curiosity killed the cat' was going to come true if Beast Boy didn't watch it.

* * *

Well, maybe it wouldn't. Beast Boy was not only relentless, but he could also be quite cunning and inventive.

Even the most high-tech security was penetrable - to anything microscopic. (Well, at least, he thought so - Beast Boy was fairly certain Robin didn't have access to the crazy tech that hospitals and labs used to keep viruses and bacteria away from the human populous.)

So finally, the changeling gave it a try - and was rewarded. Now a rat sat in the briefcase next to the communicator, quickly and surely flipping through the different locations that had been called.

The most recent was New York City. Of course. Now to see if Robin had any pictures of the mysterious heroes...

Oh. Beast Boy blinked at the picture that greeted him, a bit startled. The green, Turtle-like creature was most certainly not what he had been expecting...

Yet Beast Boy still wanted to meet these people, no matter what. He was headed to New York.

* * *

"Where's Beast Boy?"

The blank looks that greeted Robin made the leader sigh. "Has anyone seen him recently?"

Cyborg shook his head. "I haven't seen the grass stain since yesterday..."

"Nor have I, Robin," Starfire added. Raven frowned.

"I thought I heard him this morning, but when I checked his room he wasn't there. He's gone."

Robin growled under his breath. "Well, where could he have...?"

Then it dawned on him. "Crap."

* * *

These ninjas were not the most attentive. Then again, they probably didn't know the spider spying on them was really a person.

Beast Boy was intrigued. He had never seen anything like these Turtles - or their father figure, a humanoid Rat. In all honesty, he just wanted to meet them even more now that he had seen them with his own eyes.

Oh, sure, Robin was probably going to kill him for this, but it was going to be worth it...he hoped.

Though, judging on how tense the group was, even when their female human friend was in their home, it would not be wise to reveal himself in their home - or to all four at once. Best to wait and meet one or two at a time.

Ah, and there went the orange and purple masked one. The purple one he recognized from the one picture Robin had - he was, in fact, the only one fully visible in the picture, and that was all Beast Boy had been expecting to meet at first. Well, maybe those two would be welcoming...

* * *

The fact that they liked pizza made Beast Boy respect them even more. They were quite good at getting it without revealing themselves, too. Beast Boy had to admire them - though he wasn't sure about how he felt about them getting the meat lover's special.

"You know, the vegetarian special is so much better."

When the two heads turned to him, Beast Boy had to ask himself what he was thinking. This was so stupid. For all he knew, the two were going to kill him.

But it was obvious that while the purple one was wary, the orange one was intrigued about him. "You're...green. Are you a mutant?"

Purple snorted. "Way to be subtle."

Orange shrugged. "What? He's green - it's a valid question."

Beast Boy chuckled - he liked Orange already. "Um, sorta? I'm not fully human, though I started out that way."

"Oh, so you're like - mmph!" The rest of Orange's question was cut off when Purple slapped a hand over his mouth.

"If you're not 'fully human'," Purple muttered, turning his glare from Orange to Beast Boy, "but you're only 'sorta' a mutant, then what are you?"

"Well, I'm Beast Boy, of the Teen Titans," the changeling said, as if it explained everything. At the still slightly confused looks, he added, "I can change into different animals - see?" He promptly turned into a mewling kitten, then morphed into a snarling tiger, and back again to human.

Purple let his hand fall from Orange's mouth, saying, "Oh, so you're the one Robin mentioned..."

Ah, now they were getting somewhere! "So you do know Robin? Ha! Awesome! Ever since he came back from New York I'd been wondering who he met here that could convince him to leave the city alone! OK, so you know who I am, so now who are you guys?"

Purple opened his mouth, but Orange interrupted him. "I'm Michelangelo, but call me Mikey. This is my brother Donatello."

"Just call me Donnie, or Don," Donatello said, a small smile on his face.

Beast Boy grinned, his fangs gleaming. "No problemo, dude. You can just call me BB, or B, or whatever floats your boat."

Mikey grinned at this, waltzing over and slinging the arm that wasn't carrying pizza around Beast Boy's shoulder. "So, what makes you say the vegetarian special is better than this baby right here?"

"Well, I guess I'm a bit biased - I'm a vegetarian, you know? I've been most of the animals you eat."

As the two continued to walk and talk, trailed after them, sighing. "Oh, these two are going to be best friends forever, and I'm never going to get any peace and quiet."

* * *

While Beast Boy didn't meet the other two Turtles that day, he had handed Mikey his own Titans communicator after a heated argument between the Turtle brothers so that he could keep in touch with Beast Boy, too. (Donnie was against it, saying that Mikey broke or lost almost everything, but Mikey restated that it wasn't fair that Donnie was the only one with a communicator. The Turtle relented, but told Mikey to keep quiet about it so that Splinter didn't kill them and so that Raph and Leo didn't get jealous.) It was indeed the start of a beautiful friendship.

Assuming Robin let Beast Boy live. The changeling was in for quite a treat when he got home.

"BEAST BOY! You are SO **DEAD**!"

"Aw, c'mon, dude, they're totally awesome! I mean, Donnie and Mikey are, I didn't meet Leo or Raph..."

"_Beast Boy...!_"

As Beast Boy morphed into a cheetah and ran for his life, Raven sighed. "These people Robin met in New York must be something special."

Cyborg snorted. "No kidding. It's obvious they want to be kept a secret for a reason, too."

"Perhaps we should go and meet them, too!" Starfire suggested. Her two teammates looked at her, somewhat startled.

"Star, I really don't want Robin trying to kill me, either."

"Oh."

Cyborg chuckled. "Well, sooner or later bird boy is gonna have to introduce us..."

* * *

It was most likely going to be sooner than later.

Katarou knelt before the man in the impressive armor. "I accept your request, Oroku Saki."

Though the assassin could not see it behind the helmet, the man was smirking. "Excellent. Splinter and his pupils do not stand a chance."


	3. Warnings

_**Bō**_

_Warnings_

_Robin was now certain that New York City had no need for a Titans branch, because it had skilled mutant ninja Turtles guarding it already. (Meanwhile, Beast Boy finds a kindred spirit within this new team, and enemies team up to bring them all down...)_

* * *

_"Dude, that sounds like it was hilarious!"_

_"_It was. Man, I wish you could've seen the look on Rob's face...!"

Michelangelo laughed at this, trying to imagine a very angry Robin on the receiving end of one of Beast Boy's pranks. _"Well, I'm sure it's nothing compared to Raph!"_

Beast Boy laughed, though the sound was grainy on Mikey's end due to the fact they were talking over communicators. "Dude, we definitely need to team up sometime and prank everyone. It would be the ultimate prank!"

Mikey laughed again. "_Yes! We could call it...well, the Ultimate Prank_!"

Their simultaneous laughter echoed throughout both the lair and Titans Tower. While Mikey's brothers were otherwise occupied elsewhere, Raven was glaring at the back of Beast Boy's head. When she spoke, Mikey could hear her threat loud and clear.

"_Beast Boy, if you and your friend don't keep it down I will fry your communicator and then send the both of you to a dimension where you'll both slowly freeze or starve to death."_

Both teens froze, though Raven couldn't see Mikey on the screen. She studied the changeling for a moment before smirking and returning to her meditation. Beast Boy, who suddenly decided he might find less threats to his well-being elsewhere, quickly retreated to his room to continue the conversation.

The sorceress rolled her eyes as her teammate hastily vacated the room. She could only imagine what life would be like if Beast Boy and his friend met in person.

* * *

"Robin? What are you doing?"

The Boy Wonder looked up at the sound of Starfire's voice. He smiled slightly upon seeing her, but frowned as he turned back to his work. "Just investigating some criminal sightings. The reports sound an awful lot like the HIVE Five, though apparently Kid Flash and Jinx are usually seen cleaning up after them. Even so, I want to confirm it so that they know for sure that they're chasing the HIVE, and not just some random criminals."

"I see." Starfire was quiet for a moment, and Robin wondered what would come next. "So...how are your friends in New York?"

Well, he hadn't quite expected that. Robin blinked a moment (though Star couldn't see it), before turning to face her as he answered. "They're good. Don - he's the one I gave the communicator to - has been keeping in touch, and Beast Boy's made friends with his younger brother Mikey. Thank goodness they don't meet in person often because then no one would be able to do anything without worrying about being pranked."

Starfire giggled at the last statement, and Robin allowed himself a small smile. As he turned back to his work he added, "I really wish you could meet them, Star. Raph and Leo don't know about the communications but if we could all meet once, just once, I have a feeling it would be so great..."

The Tamaranian's smile softened slightly, and her green eyes took on a distant look. "Robin, do you truly believe we will ever get to meet them?"

At this the leader of the Titans rose, turning to face Starfire straight on. He gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek before pulling back and smiling. "I don't doubt it for a minute."

* * *

Katarou stood on the rooftop, looking down at the strange humanoid-turtles as they easily dispatched the strange creatures in robotic bodies. He notched his bow with the arrow that had a note attached.

The ninja-assassin had not been given any specific instructions from Oroku Saki, only that he must eliminate these turtles - disciples of Splinter - before going after Splinter himself. The Shredder's logic was that if the things he cared for most were taken mercilessly, Splinter would be so devastated he would not be able to properly fight back.

That suited Katarou just fine.

The last bot had been dispatched, and the turtles were making their way toward the nearest man-hole. Katarou aimed and fired.

He didn't stay to see how they reacted, to see if any were hit, because he also did not want them to look to where he had been standing. Either way, the message was delivered.

_You are being hunted by order of the Shredder. Enjoy the last few days you have alive. ~Katarou_

* * *

_"Robin, we just received a warning..."_

_"_What do you mean, Donatello? What kind of warning? From who?"

It was not often that the Titans saw Robin panicked. It usually only happened when Slade or some Gotham rogue straying outside of Gotham was involved. Or when Starfire's life was on the line. But that was a different type of panic.

At that moment, they were somewhat glad Robin forgot to turn down the volume of his communicator though.

"_Some guy named Katarou shot an arrow at my brothers and me, with a note warning that we were being hunted by order of the Shredder."_

Robin _growled_. Robin growled, and to be honest Beast Boy was impressed by it. And a little intimidated, but that's not the point. "What?!"

_"I just thought you might want to know... why? Do you know him?_"

"I went to Japan, once," Robin mumbled, "to train with one called the True Master after I failed to defeat Katarou when he was robbing Jump City. He tried to sabotage my attempt to train with the True Master when I found her home, but I managed to defeat him that time."

"_Oh. Well...what should we-?_"

"We'll come to you. He's dangerous; I'm not letting you face him alone, especially if he's teamed up with your mortal enemy."

_"...Oh. A-alright. Thanks, Robin."_

"No problem, Don."

Robin clicked his communicator closed, then turned to his apprehensive friends. "Pack your bags, guys. We're going to NYC."


	4. Start

_**Bō**_

_Start_

_Robin was now certain that New York City had no need for a Titans branch, because it had skilled mutant ninja Turtles guarding it already. (Meanwhile, Beast Boy finds a kindred spirit within this new team, and enemies team up to bring them all down...)_

* * *

"I don't like this Donatello." Leonardo was anxiously pacing, waiting for the Teen Titans to arrive. "I mean, you heard Splinter: don't let anyone see you, besides these five people. But they're famous; they'll have cameras all over us if we don't watch our backs..."

Donnie sighed, somewhat exasperated. "Leo, we can trust them... I mean, Robin is honorable. His friends must be too."

"Not necessarily," Raph grumbled as he inspected his sais. Next to him, Mikey, who was hanging from a fire escape, sighed.

"Raph, I bet they will be great. We'll finally have more friends other than April. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Look, shell for brains," Raph snarled, causing the younger to almost fall off the fire escape in shock, "do you not remember what happened with Bradford? How do we know this won't end up the same way?"

"It won't," Donnie shot back in Mikey's defense. "We can _trust_ them. I know it!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Donatello."

The four Turtles spun around to find Robin leaning casually on a wall in the alley, still somewhat covered by shadows. He grinned as he stepped into the light, and offered a hand to each of them in turn.

"It's good to see you again," the Titan continued, addressing the whole group. "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Eh, it's all relative," Don shrugged, causing Leo to roll his eyes.

"Where is the rest of your team?" the leader asked. Robin simply smirked in response, and suddenly a green snake was slithering past their feet. All four Turtles yet out surprised yelps, until the snake began to grow and shift and gain arms and hair.

Beast Boy chuckled. "Beast Boy. Pleased to make your acquaintance - to those I don't already know."

Mikey grinned and fist-bumped the shapeshifter, though Leo shot him a look that clearly read '_we'll talk about this later.'_ Assuming, of course, they could get a moment of peace.

The shadows were moving now, coming together in front of Beast Boy and Robin and beginning to rise off of the ground. Again the ninjas watched in shock as the shadow began to form into a large raven. It let out a shrill cry, before slowly dissolving into a girl wearing a blue cloak.

"Well," Raph said after a moment of silence. "That was impressive."

"Thanks," the girl said, lowering her hood to reveal purple hair a shade darker than her brilliant violet eyes. "The name's Raven."

"Unfortunately I don't have as impressive an entrance," another voice said, and the brothers turned to see a metallic man entering the alleyway. "I'm Cyborg - a cyborg, if you couldn't tell."

As he joined the other three, a shadow passed over them, and the Turtles looked up to see the last member of the Titans flying over them. The orange-haired beauty landed gracefully beside her teammates.

"I am called Starfire! It is a pleasure to meet you, new friends!" Suddenly she grabbed Mikey and was smiling at him enthusiastically. In a rush she exclaimed, "Please, tell me - where-do-you-live, how-did-you-come-to-existence, what-is-your-favorite-color and do-you-wish-to-be-my-friend?!"

Mikey blinked before attempting to answer. "Uh, sewers, mutagen, orange, and sure...?"

"Oh, wonderful!" Starfire proceeded to lift Mikey into the air and hug him - very, _very_ tightly. As the Turtle began to turn blue from lack of oxygen, Leo shook his head and stepped on a manhole cover, causing it to fly into his hands.

"Feel free to follow," he said. "We'll happily lead you to our humble abode."

* * *

"The Titans have come to assist the Turtles," Katarou growled to Shredder. "Do you want me to continue with my original plan?"

"If you feel it will still accomplish the goal," Shredder muttered, pacing in front of the pool where Fishface swam. "But you are, of course, free to take any measures necessary to eliminate the Turtles and Splinter. If that includes taking out the Titans, so be it."

Katarou grinned.

* * *

"Our ship is parked a few miles out of town, in a secluded forest that no one ever visits. We've made sure that the cloaking tech will work for the next month, if required."

"That's so cool! Would you mind showing it to me if we get a chance? Ooh, the stuff I could do with that tech..."

Robin rolled his eyes as Cyborg followed Donnie to his lab. The two had met barely ten minutes ago and were already having a nerd-fest. Mikey had towed Beast Boy off to his room, and so it was now just Leo, Raph, Starfire, Raven, and himself in the living room.

Oh - and Splinter too. And the human-turned-rat did not look pleased at all.

"Robin," Splinter stated, walking over to greet them. "Not that I do not like seeing you, but why are you here and why have you brought your friends with you?"

Leo and Raph had flinched away at their sensei's harsh tone, but Robin met Splinter in the eye and replied with confidence. "Your sons are being hunted, Splinter. Shredder hired an old enemy of ours, an assassin named Katarou, who will stop at nothing to get to your sons - and you. We have experience in fighting him, so we came to lend our assistance."

Splinter narrowed his eyes at Robin, and then hissed, "While I appreciate your concern, we could have handled it ourselves - or, you could have come _alone_."

Starfire had begun to back away, but Raven stepped forward to support her leader. "Listen, Splinter-san, we will not tell the world of your existence. You have our word. We wish to help, though if you feel it is not required we will respect your wishes."

Robin nodded at his teammate's words, and Splinter studied the girl closely. Finally he sighed. "Fine," he said, turning to leave for his own room. "Welcome to our home."

As they watched him go, Robin let out a small sigh. "Well, now we can start."


	5. Plan

_**Bō**_

_Plan_

_Robin was now certain that New York City had no need for a Titans branch, because it had skilled mutant ninja Turtles guarding it already. (Meanwhile, Beast Boy finds a kindred spirit within this new team, and enemies team up to bring them all down...)_

* * *

"It's not unusual for our team to go to other cities. Anyone who sees us won't be too concerned," Robin explained to the Turtles. "We often investigate leads on our entourage of villains like this - doing sweeps of other cities."

Leonardo frowned. "That's fine, but...I'd really appreciate it if we could...split up. If you guys are noticed, and we're with you..."

Robin sighed. "I know, Leo. I...really, I know."

"Well," Raph grumbled, "why don't we split up or something? Pairs or trios. Then we're less likely to attract attention." After a moment of silence, Raph looked around and realized all eyes were on him. "...What?"

"Raph...that's actually not a bad idea," Donatello mused. "Could your team work with that."

Robin nodded the affirmative, and the Turtles beamed.

* * *

"They're on the move."

"I know that," Katarou grumbled. "I still don't see why you're here though."

The daughter of the Shredder grinned. "Just to give you some back-up, in case you do decide to fight...and to inform my father of how your plan is working out."

Katarou snorted. "Shredder need not worry. So long as we keep them on their toes...they'll fall, sooner or later."

* * *

"Um...so..."

"Please spare yourself the pain and just stop talking."

Mikey gulped, glancing again at the girl in the blue cloak. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Just, uh...you're not the talkative type?"

"What part of my previous statement did you not understand?"

"Right." They continued on, Mikey hopping gracefully from rooftop to rooftop as Raven hovered after him. She was like a shadow herself...and the fact that she wasn't talking was not helpful.

Mikey could be silent when he needed to be, but even his brothers would strike up conversations or make jokes when on patrol. This girl...she was beginning to freak him out a little bit.

"You're a lot like Beast Boy, aren't you?"

"What?" Oh, now she wanted to talk.

Raven rolled her eyes. "You and Beast Boy - I can see why you like each other. You're both loud, obnoxious-" she received an indignant 'Hey!' at this - "enjoy video games, pizza, and pranks... You're like kindred spirits. You even have similar voices and attitudes about...well, everything."

"Uh...thanks?"

She looked at him again, and then sighed. "You're afraid of me though. Like he was when we first met."

Now Mikey was just confused. And sheepish, but that's besides the point. "How...how could you tell?"

"I'm an empath. I sense emotions. Fear is radiating from you in waves."

Mikey blushed. "Oh. Sorry. I - hey, look!"

Both were thankful for the distraction. Mikey pointed down the alleyway, and Raven frowned at the scene. Two robots were loading a truck with...well, even Raven was unable to tell.

"Should we engage?"

"Let me radio Robin..."

* * *

"This reminds me of the night we first met."

"Except this time there are considerably less evil ninjas and aliens in robot bodies."

"That's true."

Robin grinned as he and Donnie leapt from one rooftop to the next. To be honest, when this whole issue was over, Robin hoped that they would at least consider meeting some of the other Titans; it would be great to have these guys be available for big fights with megalomaniacs and supervillain teamups.

Suddenly, his earpiece crackled with static. Then came Raven's voice, "_Robin, Michelangelo and I have spotted some Kraang at a warehouse, moving...I don't quite know what. Should we engage them?"_

Robin was about to say 'yes', but paused and glanced at Donatello. The purple banded Turtle shrugged, and mouthed, 'Ask Leo.' "Um, Raven, ask Leonardo. The Kraang are his and his brothers' enemies; we're only here to help minimize the Katarou threat."

A pause. Then: "_Right, of course. Raven out."_

Don looked at Robin, brown eyes swimming with thought. "Why not make the decision yourself?"

Robin chuckled. "As I told Raven, we're only here for Katarou. The Kraang are still your enemies. If you want help, we'll give it, but for now our focus is this."

Don nodded. "Right, of course." And they went back to their silent yet comfortable patrol.

* * *

"_Leonardo, do you copy?"_

Leo almost jumped as Raven's voice echoed in his ear piece - custom designed by Cyborg, apparently. The half-man, half-machine was just as handy as Donnie, if not more so. "Yeah, Raven, this is Leo. What's up?"

"_Michelangelo and I have spotted a few Kraang at a warehouse. They're moving unknown cargo in a truck, and are about to leave. Do you want us to engage? And don't tell me to ask Robin - he said to ask you."_

"That sounds like Robin," Beast Boy - who momentarily shifted from hawk form - muttered to Starfire. The alien princess giggled slightly, and then quieted herself as Leo glanced back at them.

"Our main focus is Katarou...but if you feel you can handle them, take them out and investigate the cargo. They are still of concern, as their alliance with Shredder is unknown."

"_Alright...Michelangelo believes we can engage them and win, so that's what we'll do. Raven out."_

"May X'hal give them luck," Starfire murmured. Both Leo and Beast Boy quirked an eyebrow at this statement, but said nothing.

"Alright, let's continue onward."

"Wonder if Cy and Raph are having any luck," Beast Boy murmured as Leo strode past him.

"If they find anything," the leader said, slightly terse, "they'll radio us. Now let's keep moving."

Without another word, Leo leapt from the rooftop. Starfire and Beast Boy glanced at each other, and then shrugged. Starfire dove off the building, as did Beast Boy, who morphed into a hawk before hitting the ground.

* * *

Above them, watching, were Karai and Katarou. The latter was now aiming an arrow at Leonardo, waiting for him to pause.

"Why go for Leo?" Karai asked, her tone neutral and devoid of emotion. "Why not Robin? Doesn't he pose a bigger threat?"

"Robin," Katarou hissed, "will be dealt with when the time comes. But Leonardo is the leader of the mutants, and they are all that matter to Shredder. As such, I'm taking him out first. Without a leader, they will be powerless."

"And if you miss?"

Katarou shot the kunoichi an annoyed glare, and she hastily looked away. Turning back to his target, Katarou said, "If I do miss, there will still be panic. They know I am following them, hunting them. Might as well let them know the end is near."

And at last, his quarry stopped, turning and waiting for the changeling. He grinned, notched an arrow, aimed, and fired.


End file.
